South by Southwest was expected to draw more than 100,000 people from all over the world to Austin, TX from March 8 to March 17 for the festival’s annual celebration of cutting-edge music, film and technology.

Then, coronavirus happened.

[From left] Tom Rector, ScreenBroidery; Joseph Sommer, Whitestone Branding; Nina Shatz, BAMKO

Citing concerns that the festival could lead to COVID-19’s spread in Austin, Mayor Steve Adler ordered the massive event canceled. Just like that, the $350 million economic benefit that SXSW was expected to generate for Austin’s local economy was gone.

South by Southwest — the annual technology, music and film festival — has been canceled over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, Austin city officials have announced.https://t.co/0HRphRHkiw

— NPR (@NPR) March 6, 2020

The nixing of SXSW 2020 was one of the highest profile cancellations or postponements to occur as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak. Sadly, it’s been far from the only one. Trade shows, conferences and other events of all sizes are increasingly being axed from calendars as coronavirus cases approach 117,000 globally, with nearly 1,000 of those confirmed in the U.S. Worldwide, there have been more than 4,000 deaths. Events that are going forward are seeing some exhibitors drop out and would-be attendees opt to stay home rather than risk potential exposure to the virus through travel and face-to-face interaction. The cancellations, postponements and lost exhibitors are having a direct impact on sales for promotional products distributors.

“We work with event planners/associations that are hosting conferences and events, as well as businesses that are exhibiting in trade shows and expos. Both are being affected by the coronavirus,” Tom Rector, CEO of Indianapolis-based distributor ScreenBroidery (asi/305623), told Counselor. “My event planners are having issues with attendance and are canceling conferences and meetings and are no longer needing conference gear, such as lanyards, totes and hotel key cards. Meanwhile, businesses that are attending shows are making strategic decisions to halt attending,” which can result in them not investing in event swag and/or taking a negative impact to their sales because they were relying on the event to generate business.

Nonetheless, ScreenBroidery and other distributors are taking a proactive approach to help clients through strategic use of promotional products, while also redirecting efforts to generate revenue in the wake of lost event-related orders. Here’s a look at what they’re doing – and what other distributors can do, too.

Repurpose Event Products: When a nonprofit had to cancel their event in Atlanta, Nina Shatz advised organizers to complete the purchase of the hand sanitizer they’d ordered for the occasion. “The bottles featured their logo, URL and phone number,” says Shatz, business development director at Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431). “With hand sanitizer in such demand, I advised the client that they could donate the sanitizer to places in need in their community, like senior citizen centers and other organizations that work with high-risk groups. It would be a great way to create positive publicity around their organization – something they could share on social media, too. It’s something people will likely remember when the nonprofit reaches out for funding support.”

Use Promo Products to Promote the Next Event: Coronavirus disruption isn’t going to last forever. Various trade shows, conferences and events will occur again once the health scare subsides. Shatz is encouraging event organizers to remind clients of that with targeted outreach involving promotional products. For example: An event planned at Harvard University for which Shatz was providing swag was recently canceled. Some of the branded collateral, including laptop stickers, had already shipped. Shatz advised the client to send a sticker and personalized note to the folks who’d registered to attend. The notes could say, among other things, that organizers were excited to see the would-be attendees at the next planned event, which was scheduled for the fall. “A step like that speaks volumes,” says Shatz. “It says to the person they’re not just an attendee, they’re a person.”

Javier Melendez offered a similar suggestion. The account executive at All Star Incentive Marketing (asi/117110) recommends sending branded sunglasses with a note/messaging built around the theme of “seeing” the recipient at the next event, with information about that upcoming occasion included.

Help Clients Redirect Their Spend: Rector notes that clients, be they trade show/conference organizers or exhibitors, had a budget for their event. What’s more, they were organizing/attending the event for business-building reasons. Those reasons, and at least some of the budget, haven’t simply vanished. The budget can still be put to good use to help achieve the business aims with the help of promo products, Rector says.

“Instead of paying for booth space, for example, they can roll those costs into a smart direct mail outreach campaign,” says Rector. “For these programs, the key is to personalize the products or shipments. My favorite personalized product is using variable data to personalize the box promo products are shipped in. We can customize each box with names, strategic messages, product associations and more. It’s a great attention-getter, value add and ensures the message is seen.”

Touch on The Commonality of COVID-19 Disruption in Direct Mail: Knowing what to send in direct mail efforts can be tricky. It varies depending on the client and their intended audience. Still, one universal issue at the moment is coronavirus disruption. And, there’s potential to tap into that theme. ScreenBroidery has drawn on its extensive kitting and assembly capabilities to develop campaigns for customers who’ve pulled out of exhibiting at trade shows. The outreach goes to what would have been event attendees with whom the clients were aiming to interact. “The kits not only explain why they are choosing to not exhibit, but also offer promo products that can help prevent the virus from spreading, such as sanitizers and face masks,” says Rector.

Melendez has other suggestions for working the coronavirus theme into direct outreach marketing efforts. In a TikTok video aimed at marketers dealing with event cancellations, he suggested sending desired contacts a box of tissues with messaging themed around the idea that it “blows” that the event was canceled. Health experts advise that, when one has to sneeze, to do so into a tissue, which should then be thrown out; that can help check the spread of the virus.

For all those Scrambling event #marketers out there here are some more tips. #promotionalproducts work! #COVID19 #coronavirus #events #SaaStr2020 pic.twitter.com/44J4QG0hk5

— Javier (@JavierSolutions) March 9, 2020

Rector had additional suggestions.

“You have to be tactful and make sure the audience would be receptive to something like this, but you can also do a play on the stock market troubles and the ‘world is ending’ so you will need survival items, such as survival tools, tumblers, granola bars, candles and more,” he says. “For those going for a more targeted approach to C-Suite recipients, we are pitching high-end items, like branded drones, personalized sports jerseys, and for us being from Indianapolis, laser-engraved bricks from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

Build Relationships Through Compassion: Promo distributors often talk of wanting to build relationships with clients – to be true partners. Difficult times, such as those experienced with the coronavirus outbreak, provide ample opportunity to forge and strengthen those bonds with customers, especially those dealing with fallout from canceled shows and other events. Shatz has been reaching out to clients just to see how they and their companies are faring amid the tumult. “We need to connect with clients on a personal level,” says Shatz. “When you show compassion and empathy at these times, it humanizes you and builds the relationship. You could even send a small gift and a note. Those small acts of kindness matter. And when the trouble from this virus passes, they’re going to remember that you’re the one that took the time to show real care.”

Help Lift Morale: Clients dealing with canceled events could well be feeling the negative effects of coronavirus in other ways professional and personal. This could include lowered staff morale and challenges that come with having more employees work remotely. Joseph Sommer, owner/founder of Whitestone Branding (asi/359741), says promo pros have a chance to help with such issues. “Staff morale kits or work-from-home kits can be viable options for clients right now,” says Sommer.

Prospect in Stronger Verticals: Some distributors contending with lost sales due to event cancellations are attempting to make up the revenue with aggressive, targeted prospecting in verticals that could still stand to perform well financially despite coronavirus disruption. Whitestone Branding is launching highly focused campaigns at companies in fields like healthcare, sanitation and others. “We will target companies that do well in times of crisis,” says Sommer. “For us, it’s always forward, never backwards.”